Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Farrell To Shred Spending

The Republican Party nominee for Secretary of State Jerry Farrell has an enviable theatrical talent.

The present Commissioner of Consumer Protection is captivating the on the stump, and on Saturday, July 24, he will be holding a “Shred State Spending” event for residents in the towns of Middletown, Durham, Middlefield, Portland and Cromwell, who are encouraged, according to a press release, “to drop off their home and office paper clutter including personal documents and meet Jerry. The campaign has hired Shred It, Inc. with headquarters in Cheshire to perform the shredding with its mobile services.

“The event will be held in the parking lot of FUTURES, Inc. at 158 Broad Street at 8:30 am through 11:30 am. Set up for the event will begin at 7:15 am.” Other similar events in other parts of the state will follow.

Virtually all Republicans running for office this year have professed a concern in their ads and campaign literature on the ruinous consequences of state debt. Connecticut, along with other states, in is the debt ditch. There are two ways – and only two ways -- of resolving debts: The state must either cut costs or raise taxes. Republicans and Democrats this year part company on where the axe should fall first. Spending cuts and tax increases are hard choices because the consequences of either are severe.

The strategy of a Common Sense Party, if there were such a political instrument, probably would crystallize around detailed specifications involving spending cuts -- before tax increases were seriously considered. The relationship between tax increases and spending, the last 20 years have shown, is direct and ruinous.

What most voters will be looking for this campaign season from those running for office are tokens of seriousness. It will not be enough for a prospective governor or state legislator to profess his or her concern for job losses or the depth of the state’s indebtedness or excessive borrowing or the plight of the downtrodden at a time when unpalatable choices must be made for the greater good.

Words certainly may be tokens of intentions. But when the barns are empty, when everyone knows the coming harvest will be poor – words are not nearly enough. One wants a plan, a commitment that demonstrates to citizens who will be asked to shoulder the burden of hard times that those who govern us have, through their words and deeds, crossed a personal Rubicon and committed themselves to an action plan that, at some risk of losing votes, will call upon the angels of our better natures to make personal sacrifices.

“With the state's finances continuing to spiral out of control,” Farrell said, “I will fight to save taxpayer’s money by consolidating all state record-keeping in the Secretary of the State’s jurisdiction. This will help avoid duplicative spending in the various agencies of the state. In these tough times, we need to look for every way we can to save money and reduce taxes.”

Farrell said he also intends to spur job growth by assisting new businesses, an avenue with which he is familiar as chief of consumer protection. He has made economies in that office and will use his experience to do the same should he be elected Secretary of State.